Helping You To See Christmas
by RKaarisNK
Summary: It's that time of the year again! Sirius celebrates X'mas! But their cold-blooded navigator decides to skip out on all the fun... Christmas One-shot Eduardo/OC ( or MC whichever ) I am terrible at summaries though T T Review?


**ITS HERE :DDDDD** **Really sorry for the long wait. For the others, it might come out after Christmas but…yeah. Do you guys still wanna read the rest? I'll try to write… Enjoy and Merry Christmas! :D**

**JUST A SIDENOTE. THIS IS LIKE A SPIN OFF, IT DOESN'T CONTINUE AFTER MY MAIN STORIES WHATSOEVER.**

As each day passed, we inched a tiny bit closer to Christmas. Growing up in a small town in Yamato, everyone knew everyone and every Christmas, we would gather together at the town square and exchange gifts. In fact, Christmas was one of my favorite holidays because it was a holiday where everyone could get together and have a good time.

It was a week before Christmas. I was currently cleaning the deck with Thomas. It wasn't snowing, sadly ( I really wanted it to ) but the temperature was dropping. "It's almost Christmas, Miss Elise!" he said cheerfully. I smiled before nodding my head in agreement. I was really excited since it was my first Christmas on board.

"Yo, woman!" a familiar voice said from behind us. I turned to see Eduardo with his hands perched on the wooden railing of the helm. I looked at Thomas and said "I'll be back soon!" before I ran up to hug Eduardo. I ran into his arms that he openly spread. Okay, I admit. That was weird. Eduardo never lets me hug him in public. It normally came with a catch but—- said it too soon.

As soon as I was in his arms, he poked my side which made me giggle and he kept doing it until I was crying on the floor in laughter. "That'll teach ya to never do that in public." He coldly said before he knelt down and whispered in my ear "When we're alone, you can touch me all you want." That made my heart beat faster. I then slowly stood up and tried my hardest to regain my composure.

"Whatever ya wanna say just spit it out." Eduardo bluntly said. I then curled my lips into a bright smile before happily saying "Eduardo, Christmas is in a week! How should we celebrate it?" Eduardo's face then turned blank before he firmly said "I don't believe in Christmas and that's also why I don't celebrate it."

My eyes widened. Eduardo doesn't celebrate Christmas?! "WHAAT?!" I yelled. Eduardo then hit me on the head. "OW!" I followed. I turned back to Thomas and cried "Eduardo doesn't celebrate Christmas?!" Thomas sadly nodded his head before explaining "Every year, Sirius holds a celebration but Eduardo always refuses to participate. Well, except for the Christmas feast that Nathan always cooks."

"Yer so loud. It's no big deal about not celebrating Christmas." Eduardo added. How could anyone NOT believe in Christmas? I mean, Christmas is such a fun holiday where people get together and exchange gifts and feel happy! What's even more unbelievable is that no one really cared that Eduardo wasn't reveling in the Christmas spirit like the rest of the Sirius crew! "I…I'm going to help Nathan with dinner…" I said before walking off, desperately trying to keep my cool.

—The Next Day—

I woke up less than an hour ago and was sitting at the helm. From behind me, I heard a sneeze that was followed soon after with a cough. I turned to see Eduardo standing there, his face looking tired. "Oh my… Have you seen Christopher?" I asked, concerned. I could tell that his cough and cold was terrible due to his red nose and the fact that he nodded his head silently.

Suddenly, I heard someone run. I tilted my head beside Eduardo and saw Christopher running while yelling "Eduardo, seriously, get some rest!" Then, Eduardo ran down the helm's stairs and onto the deck. They started chasing each other and it looked funny. Thomas and I stood in bewilderment as Christopher caught Eduardo and tied him up with rope. "Sorry Elise, but he REFUSES to rest. He is really sick but he's just down with a serious flu and cough. If he rests up, eats his medicine and STOPS GETTING OUT OF BED, I'm sure he'll be well again before Christmas." Christopher said before pushing Eduardo along to our room.

As Captain saw the weird scene, he walked onto helm and stood next to me, watching the sea. "So, Elise, in about a week, you will celebrate your very first Christmas on board. Excited?" he asked in his signature loud voice. I nodded my head before saying to Captain "Is it really true that every Christmas celebration Eduardo always stays in his room the entire time?" By then, my face was housing a tiny frown.

Captain nodded his head slightly before reminding me "Except for the Christmas feast." Geez, why was everyone so hung up on the Christmas feast? "Why doesn't anyone do anything about it? I mean, it's Christmas! It's a time where everyone gets together and has a good time! Eduardo is missing out on so much fun! We should do something about it this year!" I blurted out.

Captain looked at the sea with his fingers at his chin as if he was thinking. "I have decided! This year, we will get that anti-social Eduardo to celebrate Christmas with us!" Captain announced with a big smile on his face.

I was just thinking how we could've done that just as Captain suddenly said "We should go to Yuki Island! The gorgeous snow is bound to sway Eduardo!" Oh, Yuki Island! I have ever heard Eduardo talk about it. He went there when he was younger with both his parents when his mother was still alive. He told me that they used to cut a hole in the frozen lake near their little holiday home and fish in it. I smiled at the thought of how happy he was when he told me the story.

"Captain, how about we make this a surprise? Eduardo did tell me about the map he kept in the navigation room. Plus the extra sailing lessons I got from him, I'm sure I could get us there just before Christmas!" I cheerfully suggested. Captain said alright before heading back into his cabin silently.

I ran to the navigation room and looked through the rolls of maps that Eduardo kept of several parts of the world. I scrolled through until I found the 'northern parts' map before going to the helm. A few days ago Eduardo told me where we currently were so it was a whole lot easier to set the new course. Yuki Island, here we come!

-4 days later-

We finally reached Yuki Island. I was so proud of myself. I was able to steer the ship to Yuki Island all on my own without Eduardo's help! He would be very proud. Suddenly, while I was at the helm, Eduardo appeared behind me out of nowhere, I got shocked as I jumped.

Eduardo looked as if he was about to say something until he saw where the ship was docked. Yuki Island. His eyes were wide and his mouth was slightly open. "Y-you navigated us here?" He managed to say, his eyes still fixated on the winter wonderland in front of us. After I said yes, he turned to me and smiled warmly before patting me on the head. "Good job. Seems like I trained you well…" Normally I would have been pretty angry about the whole pet thing but today I relished in his surprise.

—-

Captain called all of us to the deck. "I've heard of Yuki Island and I don't think the inns here are as good as the view so we'll just have to stick to the freezing ship." Everyone's smiles turned into sighs or frowns. Eduardo then spoke up from beside me. "My family used to come here. I'm sure we could all stay in my family house here." Christopher and Nathan looked as if they didn't want to impose whereas Russell and Thomas were more than happy to be able to sleep anywhere else either than the ship.

Half an hour later, after everyone gathered their things, we left the ship. "Alright then, Eduardo, lead the way!" Captain bellowed with his signature wide smile.

Eduardo had an iron grip on my hand, as if telling me about the good times he missed so much. I occasionally looked up at his side profile to see his forlorn face, as if he was about to cry anytime. I then squeezed his hand, trying to comfort his before he gave a slight smile to me and squeezed my hand back. I smiled.

—-

After a short walk, we finally reached the house. It was huge and there was a lake in the front yard that was frozen. Russell and Thomas, being the little kids they were, dropped their bags and rushed forward, diving into the deep pile of snow next to the frozen lake. I could hear Nathan, Christopher and Eduardo sigh before I giggled, rushing forward to join them, after Russell and Thomas prompted me to go over.

I landed next to them, making a snow angel. The three of us laughed, each in our own outline of angels. The other four 'grown ups' walked towards the entrance of the mansion. Captain, Nathan and Christopher were the first to go in. Eduardo paused at the entrance and beckoned me to go to his side, to which I happily obliged.

I walked into the house, hand in hand with Eduardo. It was so grand! I had never ever seen a more beautiful and big home than his in my entire life! You know, being poor and all… There was a crystal chandelier at the very top of the ceiling and an aged fireplace in front of the doorway. The floor was wooden and there were many beautiful paintings on the walls. My jaw almost hit the floor seeing how grand it was.

Suddenly, Eduardo hit me on the back of my head. "Don't open your mouth like that. You look like a retard." He then walked up the stairs, dragging me by my wrist. On the way up, I could hear the door open to a chilled Russell and Thomas, their sacks in tow. I giggled softly under my breath, making it inaudible.

Eduardo led me through the house, stopping in front of a door at the end of the hallway. He opened it to reveal a room with a family portrait of Eduardo and his parents. Eduardo silently walked over to the bed and sat on it. His hand roamed around the sheets before patting it, asking me to sit next to him. I then walked over and did so.

As soon as I sat down, Eduardo turned to me and hugged me, burying his face in my neck. I slowly patted his back. I could feel hot tears against my neck. I felt so bad for him. He must miss his mother so much…

He muttered "If you tell anyone, I'll kill you." I giggled before turning to hug him back, placing my head on his shoulder, so I wouldn't see him cry. "I…I really love you." He said between sniffles. I smiled before saying "I really love you too.", before pressing my lips towards his brown hair.

—-

I woke up and saw that the sky was dark. Wrapped around me, I saw Eduardo's coat. The space next to me was empty so I assumed Eduardo had already woken up. I hoped he felt better. I stood up on the bed and walked out of the room, and grabbed at the coat, ensuring it didn't fall off.

As I walked down the grand staircase, I saw many Christmas decorations such as mistletoe and tinsels hung on the walls and ceilings. Probably put up by Russell and Thomas. I could hear the loud laughter coming from the dining hall. I went to go and join the crew.

I looked at the two large doors in my face. I slowly opened one of the handles with the most gentle of touches. I peeked into the room and saw everyone sitting at the table eating their Nathan-cooked dinner.

Through their conversation, Thomas saw me at the door. "Miss Elise, why don't you come on in and join us?" he said, beaming. I opened the door big enough just so I could slide through the sides of the doors and took the empty seat between Nathan and Eduardo. Nathan left and quickly came back with another plate and put it in front of me.

I thanked Nathan before taking a spoon of the dinner, which was good as usual. I took a peek at Eduardo from the corner of my eye to see if he was feeling happy again. I saw that he was smiling already. I was so happy. As long as he's happy, I'm happy.

—-

Dinner was long over. I wasn't sure what time it was… A little after 1am I think… I was sitting on the steps of the front porch. It was snowing and I still had Eduardo's coat wrapped around me. As I remembered my family in Yamato, I could see my puffs of air in front of me due to the extremely cold temperature.

Suddenly, from behind me, I heard the door open. Soon after, I felt a pair of arms hug me from behind. I turned to see Eduardo's face on my shoulder, his eyes closed. I smiled as I turned back to the front.

I felt a icy cold breeze as the coat was ripped off me. Eduardo must've taken back his coat. I was suddenly lifted up. Eduardo sat me on his lap as he covered both of us with his coat. His chin then rested on top of my head. I lay back on his reliable chest as I slowly drifted off to dreamland with the knowledge that I was safe in Eduardo's arms. Before sleep engulfed me, I was sure I heard Eduardo whisper "Thanks for being there for me."

—-

The next morning I woke up on the bed, with the coat sprawled over me. Surprisingly, I saw him still in bed. It was rare that I woke up earlier than him. But I guess he took the opportunity to sleep in, seeing that he didn't have to steer the ship. I wrapped myself in the coat as I went to the bathroom to wash up.

As I tied up my hair and walked out of the bathroom wearing Eduardo's coat. I walked down to have daily breakfast and saw that everyone but Captain and Eduardo was already in the dining hall.

"Good morning Miss Elise!" Thomas said with much delight.

"Good morning Elise." Christopher said smoothly.

"Morning." Russell and Nathan both said indifferently.

I sat at my seat last night, next to Nathan. I started eating the fruit laid out on the plate. They were fresh, of course. Nathan would never allow us to eat anything that wasn't fresh. That was just the considerate Nathan we all knew and loved.

Suddenly, Russell spoke up, still chewing on his food. "Hey, we should all go shoppin' fer Christmas!" Thomas then nodded his head, smiling widely. Christopher smiled lightly while Nathan just shrugged. Christmas shopping eh? I never really went Christmas shopping considering the fact that my family was too poor to get anything. Usually it was homemade dinner for Christmas, cooked by my mother.

—-

Half an hour later, I found myself in Eduardo and my room trying to wake him up. It was no mean feat! He sure can sleep. I had been trying to wake him up for the past 15 minutes but he just wouldn't budge.

I shook him once more before I turned to walk away. I then felt a hand grip my hand and pull me backwards. I yelped as I landed on Eduardo's lap, after he just sat up. "You…you were awake!" I gasped.

Eduardo smirked, whispering into my ear "I just wanted you to keep shaking me, love." My face immediately went red. Eduardo suddenly pressed his lips against mine until he pushed me down on the bed and was on top of me, with each kiss pushing me further into the sheets.

As his hands moved further down, I squeezed my eyes shut because I was too nervous. Suddenly, I heard a chuckle. I opened one eye to see Eduardo sitting next to me, laughing. "Not in the morning." He said jokingly, before walking out of the room to go wash up.

After I regained my composure, I ran towards him and slowly and gently tugged on his sleeve. He turned to hear me mumble "We're going Christmas shopping after you're done." I could sense Eduardo smile as he leaned down to kiss me lightly on the lips before he went to the bathroom. I stood there in the hallway, fingers touching my lips as I was shocked.

Eduardo was the type that took only a few minutes to get ready in the bathroom. When he came out, he saw me standing there, eyes wide and mouth unknowingly open. He waved his hand in front of my face before hitting the back of my head.

"Oww!" I yelped in pain.

"Why were you standing there like an idiot?!" He asked, annoyed.

"…" I didn't say anything. I just ran down the stairs. Oh my gosh! That was so embarrassing! I bumped into Nathan who caught me. "What happened?!" Nathan asked, shocked. I appeared all flustered. "Umm…Nothing…" I brushed past him and went to go join the group.

"Hey! What took ya so long? Doin' some funny business? Don't do it while we're waitin' fer ya!" Russell said, half annoyed, half amused. My face turned to a darker shade of red before vigorously shaking my head. From behind him, Christopher stood up for me "Russell! Don't tease her." He then hit the back of Russell's head, to which I giggled and he 'owwed' at.

As soon as Eduardo came back down, I pulled both Russell and Thomas' hands and ran towards the open door saying , "Okay guys! Eduardo's down! Let's go!" trying to hide the fact that I was flustered.

—-

It was quite a long walk through the forest to get to the town area. "Okay crew! An hour to shop and we'll go in pairs. Well, you'll go in pairs. I'll just be at the bar. So, Russell and Thomas, Elise and Eduardo, Christopher and Nathan. See ya!" Captain announced before heading for the nearest bar.

We all went separate ways. Eduardo and I stopped at a quaint little shop that said 'open 24/7' at the end of the street. As we walked in, we saw shelves of many things. This place sold almost everything! "Can we go see the things on that corner of the shop?" I asked Eduardo, my eyes shining. He nodded before saying "I'll be around here. Just go get your things. Call me when you're done."

I decided to put Eduardo's cold attitude towards Christmas behind me as I went Christmas shopping for the boys. Hmm… Russell and Thomas' gifts were the easiest to find. I just had to get Captain some booze. It was Christopher, Nathan and Eduardo's gifts that troubled me the most.

I got Russell a bag of raisins, the limited Christmas edition one with the beautiful candy cane packaging. Thomas, an adorable teddy bear that reminded me of him. For Christopher, I finally decided on a few intricate glass boxes for him to put his herbs in, seeing how he's been complaining about the lack of containers to store them in. I bought for Nathan a black bandanna. When I got back, I would sew on 'Nathan' at the corner of it, for the extra customized touch.

Unfortunately, I didn't manage to get Eduardo a gift. I considered just getting him a compass but it needed to be EXTRA SPECIAL. Something that would trigger his inner love for Christmas, because, deep down inside, everyone loves Christmas! He just doesn't see it yet.

—-

On the way back, everyone was pretty silent. We were all either too tired or too worn out by the unforgiving weather. As usual, we went back without Captain, since he was too preoccupied with a few attractive women he met in the bar. Christopher and Russell were in front, followed by Nathan and Thomas then Eduardo and I.

My mind was filled with various gift ideas for Eduardo. I could always get him some candy but it's not special enough. I told myself I would figure it out when I got back.

—-

As soon as I got back, I hid the crew's presents in my closet then sat myself down at the dining room and refused to retire for bed. I told Eduardo to go to bed first. So, Russell went to bed, Thomas checked over his gifts, Christopher sat in the library to read and Nathan went to his kitchen to experiment with a new recipe he got in town.

I dug back into my memory of everything in the 24 hour gift shop. I left Eduardo in the models area. I KNOW! Before we left, he was reluctant to leave the ship model on display! That's what I should get him! I had to go back before the next day. I couldn't ask the sleeping beauty—-er…Russell. Neither could I ask Thomas or Christopher. They would tell Eduardo and he'd be upset that I didn't ask him to go along with me.

Suddenly, my only option walked through the door with a plate that had some cake on it. As Nathan set the plate in front of me before walking off, I ran after him and grabbed his arm. "Nathan! I…have a favor to ask of you." I said nervously. "Shoot.", Nathan gave his consent.

"You see, tomorrow is Christmas and I just thought of the perfect gift for Eduardo but I—" I got cut off my Nathan. "Eat up yer cake. Be ready in 5." And with that, he walked off. I jumped around and squealed for a few seconds before gobbling up the cake, which was, simply delicious.

Nathan came back down to see me standing at the door, excited. He passed me a slip of paper before he said "Put this in the dining room table. We gotta at least leave a note." I ran to put it in said place before rushing out the door in glee, to join Nathan.

As the partially lit house slowly faded from view when we walked further into the forest, I got scared. It was so dark! Nathan obviously sensed my fear because he grabbed my hand in a brotherly way. I was so thankful for Nathan.

Suddenly, we heard rustling through the bushes. My grip on Nathan's hand tightened. "Nothin' to be scared of. Probably just—!" Nathan was cut off by muffling sounds. Soon, I felt a cloth being wrapped around my mouth as my world slowly turned into nothing but darkness.

I awoke to see my hands and legs were tied tightly with rope. My head turned from side to side to try and figure out where I was. From across the room, I saw Nathan, in the same condition but he hadn't regained consciousness yet.

I struggled to make my way across to him. "Nate! Nate! Wake up!" Slowly, his head shook from side to side before his eyes blinked open. Nathan opened his mouth as if he was about to say something when the door swung open. One look and we both knew who it was.

Captain Alan. "Hello, my pearl. Did you come to Yuki Island just to see me? You shouldn't have…" he said with a big grin on his smug face. He moved closer to me and reached his hand out to touch my cheek as Nathan used his body and pushed me to the side, to avoid Captain Alan touching me.

He opened his mouth to continue but was interrupted by several gunshots and screams coming from the deck. Nathan and I were both thinking the same thing and our thoughts were confirmed when we heard Russell's loud screaming. I was happy yet dreadful. Happy that they saved us, dreadful of the cold shoulder Eduardo was gonna give me for troubling him.

The door was kicked open just as Captain Alan was about to leave, thus hitting him to the side. At the door was Eduardo with his gun and Christopher, ready to hit anyone. Eduardo walked over to me and Nathan, untying our ropes before silently walking off, leaving me behind with Nathan and Christopher.

—-

Soon, we all returned to the house. I was sent upstairs to rest while Nathan was kept in the dining room being questioned by the rest. I felt really bad for Nathan since I was the one who dragged him into this mess. Suddenly, the door creaked open and in walked Christopher who came in to check on me.

I looked up from my sheets to see him walk towards me with a smile on his face. He sat next to the bed and said "Elise…What were you thinking? Going to town in the middle of the night? I know Nathan was there but you two could have gotten hurt! We were all very worried about you two." I averted my gaze. I was feeling guilty.

Christopher then took a egg wrapped in a cloth from the end table and rubbed it against my forehead. "Oww!" I yelped in pain. "Sorry Elise. But this is the fastest way to cure that bump on your head." Christopher said apologetically.

The door opened slowly once more to reveal Eduardo standing there. "I can take it from here Doc. Thanks" he said before walking over to me. Christopher stroked my hair before passing the cloth to Eduardo and then walked out of the room.

Eduardo took Christopher's place next to me. I laid back into the bed, ready for Eduardo to rub the egg against my bump with much force but to my surprise, he gently rubbed in a circling motion, just like Christopher.

Eduardo broke the silence. "Why did ya wanna go to town anyway." He asked, looking at me straight in the eye. I managed to look back at him through my guilt and fear and explained. "Today…when we went Christmas shopping, I didn't find anything for you. I felt guilty so I asked Nathan to come along with me to get something before Christmas." Eduardo's eyes widened. "You…went back…for me?" he stuttered. I nodded slowly before I was engulfed in one of his hugs.

He then pulled back before slowly pressing his lips against mine for a short kiss. Eduardo then tucked me in and kissed my forehead, walking over to his side of the bed. His arm was leaning on the bed frame as he stroked my hair, helping me to fall asleep. Thank you, Eduardo.

—-

The next morning, I woke up and saw that the space beside me was empty. Eduardo must've woken up already. I pulled aside the crisp white sheets before making my way to the bathroom and wash up.

I went down to eat breakfast with the rest. Breakfast time passed by so much quicker that day for whatever reason. As soon as I was done, I thanked Nathan for the meal before wandering off by myself to explore the house.

I was walking through the second level when I saw that there was a door at the end of the corridor with an intricate carving of an aster flower in the wood. I pushed the door open to find a room with many sewing machines and mannequins. The walls were painted a faint shade of pink and the windows were adorned with baby pink curtains that had lace hanging from them.

It was beautiful. I looked around the room and stopped at the desk in front of the fireplace. I opened the first drawer to find a photo album and a diary below it. I flipped through the pages of each respective book and saw many pictures and documents of Eduardo. He should see this.

I briskwalked out of the room to go find Eduardo and bumped into him in the corridor. "Where ya rushing off to?" he asked, clearly shocked. I looked up at him and pushed the two books into his hands. He stared at them for a while before asking me "Where did ya find these?" I pointed to the sewing room before he grabbed my hand and led me to the bedroom.

**( From here on, I suggest you listen to Daybreak by Kevin MacLeod for extra feels. )**

He got comfortable, sitting against the bed frame. I was seated in between his legs as we went through the photo album together. We would sit there for the entire day. There were pictures of him when he was a kid with his mother. Pictures of them sleeping, pictures of them learning, reading, playing, spending limited and quality time together.

I was leaning against Eduardo's chest when I felt warm tears fall onto my hair. With my free hand, I placed a comforting hand on his thigh. He kissed the back of my head before flipping to the next page.

—-

Soon, it was nighttime and we just finished going through both books. We even skipped lunch. Eduardo put the books aside as he held my hand in his and walked us down to the dining room where everyone else would be having dinner right about then. I squeezed his hand to make sure he was okay and he squeezed back, assuring me he was fine, as long as I was there with him.

We opened the doors to the dining room and walked in to have dinner. By the look on Eduardo's face, the usual chatter died down a little. Even Russell stopped most of his talking. They were all friends for so long, it was natural they knew when their friend felt down. So each of us ate with one hand, the other locked in each other's grasp from under the table.

—-

Dinner quickly finished. Eduardo went upstairs to grab some fishing poles and got bait from the kitchen as he led me out into the cold. We sat on the icy ground in front of a hole. I sat in between Eduardo's legs once more and fished with him, a pastime he and his father used to share.

"Thank you Elise. Without you, I will never be the brave man I am today. I love you with all my heart." And with that, he kissed me as I turned my head to face him.

So you see, in the end, Christmas wasn't about the gifts. It was love. The love for each other. Selfless and unconditional love.

**I will also be posting this and other stories on . !**


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